Bullying is a huge problem in our schools today. When a student is being bullied we, as teachers, encourage students to tell a trusted adult and it will be handled from there. In a perfect world, the responsible party would intervene, an agreement would be reached, and appropriate consequences will be issued. But what if […]
Middle School
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Bet You Can't Eat Just One…Irresistible Informational Text!
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] If nothing else, the Common Core State Standards’ (CCSS) contribution to the academic lexicon will be the renaming of the genre known as non-fiction to a larger genre of informational texts. […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Step Up and Teach – Part 2: ELA Writing Standards
Read Part 1 of this series about Reading Standards here. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Princess, my first grader, writes all of the time. One day in kindergarten, after getting into trouble at home, I […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Interviews, Middle School, Uncategorized
Teachers Who Will Be Silent No Longer: Melissa Tomlinson Confronts Chris Christie
Over the weekend, many teachers were talking on Facebook and Twitter about a photo that was being shared showing a New Jersey teacher, Melissa Tomlinson, being yelled at by New Jersey governor, Chris Christie at a campaign stop. Her crime? Asking a question about his view of New Jersey’s schools. I got a chance to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
Looking Back on a Terrible Week: Teachers Killed in the Line of Duty
We end this week mourning the violent deaths of two teachers at the hands of their students. The two incidents occurred in different states and involved different weapons. But both incidents were horribly sudden, violent and currently, without known motive. Friday should be the day we review the triumphs and the celebrations of the week […]
Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Opinion
Why I Resigned From My Teaching Job: It's Not What You Think
Some, if not many of you are tired. Exhausted beyond all measure. Brand new to the field of education or a veteran teacher, you are frustrated, overwhelmed, spread so dangerously thin, perhaps full of doubts and wondering just how effective you are. I get it. I really do. Let me tell you my story. Last […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, Literacy, Middle School
Fluency Fix-Up Strategies Part II
In my previous post, I wrote about the importance of fluency instruction and the benefit of explicit teaching of phrases to improve fluency. According to Timothy Rasinski: Reading fluency refers to the ability of readers to read quickly, effortlessly, and efficiently with good, meaningful expression. (The Fluent Reader, Pg. 26) Good readers need to be […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Middle School
Hooray for Neighborhood Schools!
I had the great delight of being involved at a neighborhood school in Chicago for over twenty years. When I first walked through those doors, it was as a parent and when I left a little over a year ago, it was as a teacher. It was like a dream, a really nice, I don’t […]